No MMA in New York in 2013

MMA finally in the state of New York? Not in 2013.

For the fourth straight year, a bill to legalize the sport in New York – currently the only state in the U.S. to ban MMA – cleared the state Senate only to be tabled by the Assembly.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver reportedly met in a “contentious” closed-door meeting with fellow Democrats on Tuesday and said the vote would not be taken to the floor, according to nydailynews.com. The current legislative session ends next week.

Support for MMA legislation in New York has earned growing support in recent years, especially with proponents who see the potential bump it could provide to the local economy. The UFC, for example, has long wanted to hold a major event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, which could have an impact in the tens of millions of dollars.

But the politics of the process, including staunch opposition and a smear campaign from Las Vegas’ Culinary Workers Union 226 (which has a long-standing labor dispute with Station Casinos), irked even UFC President Dana White.

“We got more votes (in the New York state Senate) than we got last year, and it’s just to the point now where it’s absolutely ridiculous, and I’m over it,” White said in April.

UFC co-owner and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta and UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner have been on the frontline throughout the year while trying to gain support.

Although the UFC’s 20th anniversary is now slated for Nov. 16 in Las Vegas, UFC officials were hopeful New York would play host if legislation had passed.

Connecticut and Canada recently passed MMA legislation, which left New York as North America’s lone holdout. In recent years, the UFC has hosted annual shows in nearby New Jersey while holding many of its fight-week media events in New York due to the ban.

(Pictured: Lorenzo Fertitta)